Book Review

My own experience is that churchgoers, after hearing that I teach students how to speak for a living, usually do one of two things: they make a joke about how I must be evaluating their diction as they sip their coffee in the fellowship hall, or they offer up an enthusiastic variant on the phrase,…

Music, Theology, and Justice is a thought-provoking collection of case studies which invite the reader to contemplate how, when, and why music and musical practices are used to address the tension we feel between, in the words of contributor Don Saliers, “the world as it is and the world as it ought to be” (197,…

In Psychological Science and Christian Faith, we have another excellent addition to the literature addressing the relationship of psychology to the Christian faith. Malcolm Jeeves, Emeritus Professor at the University of St. Andrews, and Thomas Ludwig, recently retired professor at Hope College (with one chapter by David G. Myers, also of Hope College), offer an…

The title A Voice to Be Heard suggests that the voices of Christian entrepreneurs require attention since they have not always been heeded in the past. Perhaps in religious circles the phrase “Christian entrepreneur” has even been scoffed at or ignored. In A Voice to Be Heard: Christian Entrepreneurs Living Out Their Faith, Richard Higginson…

Contemporary Mission Theology: Engaging the Nations is a fascinating book composed of various chapters from well-known scholars with diverse theological backgrounds. It is offered in honor of Charles E. Van Engen, Arthur F. Glasser Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology of Mission and Senior Professor of Biblical Theology of Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary, vice-president of…

Diversity Matters is an important book—timely, sensitive, honest, challenging, yet hope-filled. The title Diversity Matters can be read as a rallying cry (subject-verb statement) and (as an adjective-noun phrase) as descriptions of how different schools and individuals have wrestled with racial, ethnic, and gender matters of inclusion, especially within PWIs (predominantly white institutions). Professor Longman…

In an age in which higher education options are increasingly commodified to match the hegemonic forces of today, it is encouraging to have voices like Ryan McIlhenny’s observing the higher education terrain. In his book Reforming the Liberal Arts, McIlhenny offers insightful perspectives and a timely diagnostic of the state of higher education. As the…

Perry Glanzer, Jonathan Hill, and Byron Johnson have produced one of the most valuable studies of this generation on the problem of meaning and purpose among undergraduate students. It belongs alongside other books on the subject by Sharon Daloz Parks and Christian Smith. The book’s first strength—a primary one—is its tight focus on a particular…

Zondervan, known for its Counterpoints Series, has released its most recent one, Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design, which updates and replaces Three Views on Creation and Evolution (1999). The format has been improved and a fourth view added, Intelligent Design. The volume reflects changes in the origins landscape with major scientific discoveries…